Source: Publisher Provided

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. The faction-based training of Divergent crossed with the adrenaline rush and energy of storm chasing, Nisha J. Tuli’s YA debut Storm Breaker is an engaging dystopian book that successfully invokes all the elements that made the 2010’s post-apocalypse era so popular. Featuring a well-crafted plot and a unique take on Manhattan that’s both futuristic and retro, Storm Breaker is a solid story that nicely mixes cadet training, societal conflict, academy life, and some romance within a snappily paced book. While it inevitably also features some of the common drawbacks such as conflicting plot devices and perplexing dueling factions that many YA dystopian books struggle with, Storm Breaker is still a lot of fun to read and more importantly, does enough to differentiate itself from the excessive trend of YA trial stories. Set in a post-apocalyptic and futuristic version of Manhattan, Poet Graves is enrolled and set to attend Amery Academy. The last sanctuary in a world destroyed by ecological disaster and raging storms, the city is divided into four factions or houses that serve different roles in this constrained and resource limited city. The daughter of…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. Like a flashback to the highs of the dystopian trend of the 2010’s, The Verdant Cage is an expertly crafted start to an utterly compelling new YA series. Taking the best elements of past dystopian works modernized and fused with fresh and green ideas, Jess Lourey takes the reader on a thrilling murder mystery story set within a lush valley surrounded by a foreboding and immense ancient wall. Featuring excellent plotting, great pacing, well-written and appealing characters, The Verdant Cage is a book that understands the assignment, delivering a satisfying and pitch perfect YA dystopian reading experience and an ending that leaves you eager for more! Born into the apothecary house, Rose Allgood has trained extensively in the art of healing, medicine, and caregiving. Living in the pleasant and rural Noah’s Valley, the village and surrounding forest are protected by staggering ancient walls built over a hundred years ago to protect them from the dangerous beasts and unknown threats outside. Warned to keep a low profile and abiding by the laws of the village, Rose has lived her whole life responsibly following the rules and what’s…

The following review is based on a complimentary ARC provided by the author and Savage Realms Press in exchange for an honest review. A derelict grist mill off the beaten path, a string of grisly deaths with no known perpetrator, and an earth-shattering roar in the night. High school senior Jake and his fellow school newspaper club friends find themselves caught in the middle of a dangerous predicament following a local tragedy that has eerie similarities to a familiar scene of mass carnage twenty-five years ago. When their paths cross with a disheveled personal investigator, the tension and mystery of what’s out in the forest only grows as suspicious outside agents soon show up in town in full force. Dylan James’ novel Cedar Mills is an engaging suspenseful horror story that feels like a modernized take and ode to classic monster in the night horror tales. Featuring a diverse cast of characters with interwoven backstories, creative ideas mixed together in refreshing ways, and sharply pitched action scenes (pun fully intended), Cedar Mills is fast-paced and fun read akin to a Friday night stay-at-home horror movie marathon. With a strong opening chapter and a perfectly pitched introduction to the unknown out…

The following review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. In the year 2263, Jason’s world and home under New Toronto is a world unlike any other. Under a dome protecting the city from raging toxic storms, New Toronto and its inhabitants are at war against an Imperial Invasion from across the Solar System while simultaneously fighting a separate battle within against a nanophage epidemic infecting humans, robots, and cyborgs alike. Haunted by strange visions and a voice in his head, Jason’s life in a hidden underground enclave is thrown into chaos when latent psychic abilities start to threaten both himself and everyone else around him. As the United Federation of Earth combats the Imperial forces in space, with the help of his brother David and friend Sam, Jason hears the calls of the mythical and extraterrestrial obelisk Abaddon that promises salvation from his uncontrollable powers, as well as information about his mysterious past. Serving as the first entry in the Abaddon Cycle series and Colin Searle’s debut novel, The Call of Abaddon is an ambitious sci-fi epic that mixes cyberpunk elements (bio and nanopunk flavors specifically) with the…